


Old World, New World

by Deck Divination (astralpath)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Age of Exploration, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Captivity, M/M, Romance, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-11-12
Packaged: 2018-02-14 07:18:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2182821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralpath/pseuds/Deck%20Divination
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Yusei Fudo, on an expedition of conquest to the new world, is collecting riches and specimens on orders from his king. His latest acquisition? An unusual, tall, blond native warrior. The problem? He doesn't want to part with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Collecting a Specimen

**Author's Note:**

> A note to folks used to seeing my work at fanfiction.net: I tried for some time to post this story without success, so I decided that this was a good opportunity to try out the account here that has been lying fallow all this time. Please give me your support! :)

Captain Yusei sat within his tent with quill in hand, wondering what to write. Knowing that he could not send letters to Lady Akiza from the New World on this expedition of conquest and discovery, he'd promised her to write her in this journal that she'd given him. So often he'd written her on his campaigns, but for some reason, writing her on this expedition had been more difficult.

Sighing, he put pen to page.

My dearest Lady Akiza, 

It is difficult to believe that we have been in the New World for almost three months already! Today Jaeger insisted that we halt and assess the status of the expedition, giving me a chance to write to you once again. 

Needless to say, I often think of you and the court. Our walks through the gardens, the fine, cool spring days … I miss our conversations. There is no news of court (of course!), and even if there were, no one half so witty as yourself to discuss it with. I can only hope you have not already found a new companion to replace me! 

Jaeger tells me that King Rex should be pleased with our progress so far, yet his manner tells me that he expects more. We already have discovered and secured wealth for the king plus collected many specimens and explored many unknown regions, but I sense that this is not all that Jaeger desires. He's sent out that scout, Demak, in search of rumors and legends—and I greatly suspect from what little I've overheard that the objective is not gold alone. It's all very odd and mysterious to me. However, as we both know, the king is a man who is interested in knowledge. I often wonder whether he's looking for something specific, but I don't have the time to look into it further. 

In recent weeks we have been pushing south because Jaeger has us chasing one of the rumors. This brings some relief as the climate is slightly more temperate here, but the forest still seems unending and relentlessly humid (as I have written of endlessly before). We have heard tales of grasslands to the south, but I find myself becoming increasingly skeptical of their validity. 

Ah, but I digress. Of course, you want to know about the rumors we're chasing. Demak has heard stories of fair natives, tall, with light hair and blue eyes. We're currently chasing down such a tribe on Jaeger's orders. We have hardly seen the natives so far, but what little we have seen so far is startling. The rumors appear to be true: At least some of the natives resemble Europeans. 

And now, I must hurry to attend a meeting about this very mission, so I regretfully bid you farewell until I have time once again to take pen in hand. As always, dear Lady Akiza, I miss you. In your kindness, as you serve the queen in court, I hope you will take a moment to think of me. 

Be well. 

Yusei 

* * *

The pursuit of the legendary tribe was not without its perils. Yusei had meant to scout the tribe first, considering that the king wanted a prisoner, but as soon as they had encountered it, they had been spotted and their actions had been interpreted as hostile. The upshot had been a series of skirmishes that had resulted in minor casualties. One warrior in particular soon stood out from the rest of the tribesmen.

This afternoon, Yusei stood in the command tent with his lieutenants planning the upcoming battle. They had pitched camp in a small clearing they had somehow located in the forest. Still thick, it was somewhat less dense than the jungle in the north.

“I take it the tall blond is the man that you want us to capture?” Yusei asked Jaeger.

“Absolutely,” the little man replied. “He meets the specifications exactly. The bonus for all your men will be increased if you can bring this man in alive.”

“I caution you, it won't be without risk. The man is a great warrior to be sure,” said Yusei, “but he is only one man, and he is a savage. Plus, he has a telling weakness.”

“And what's that?” asked Jaeger.

Yusei smiled. “His propensity for derring-do. His need to take the bulk of the work onto himself, not thinking strategically. His very courage. His positive traits can be turned against him.” Yusei pulled out the recently-created map of the area. “We will be attacking their position tomorrow at dawn. You see the gorge here—” he slapped the map with his riding crop. “We'll retreat at a believable juncture into the gorge—I'll lead the way, leading our target to believe he can potentially capture me and thus bring a swift end to the battle and put his people into a position for bargaining—but then, reserve forces hidden here and here—” he punctuated his outline with taps along blind extensions of the gorge, “will cut off his escape.”

Yusei looked around at his lieutenants. “I want him taken alive and relatively unharmed, gentlemen. That is why a force of this magnitude has been assembled. It's on the orders of the king himself. He is to be examined.”

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Lieutenant Ushio.

Yusei shook his head. “It is not your duty to question orders, nor mine. I don't know the full reasoning. However, I do know there will be ramifications if I bring back damaged specimens.”

 _Specimens_.

Yusei despised putting it that way, but there it was. And that was how the men would understand it best. To them, these people of the New World, the Satellite continent, would always be less than fully human.

But none of them— _none_ of them—had ever displayed half the fighting spirit, a quarter of the fire, that that heathen warrior had, just in the few encounters Yusei had witnessed.

“Do you understand your orders?”

The assembled officers nodded soberly.

“Dismissed!”

He watched them file out of the tent.

“You disagree with our king.”

Yusei closed his eyes for a second, gathering himself before turning to face the king's man, Jaeger. The afternoon was stiflingly humid and warm and he didn't care to spend it arguing with this minion; his head was already aching as it was. “I do not pretend to understand the king's reason for wanting the man brought back to him as a sort of prize of war. Is he to be put on display?” An expression of disgust momentarily crossed Yusei's face. “Or … does he wish to attempt to treat him as a prize stallion and try to breed a legion from him? I hesitate to suggest such a thing in front of the men, but I wouldn't put it past our king.”

“If you know our king so well, then I hardly need to enlighten you,” drawled Jaeger.

Yusei sighed with frustration. He'd known as he said it that he was being undiplomatic.

“Anyway,” Jaeger went on, looking at the map absently and toying with its corner, “what do you care? He's only a savage.”

“He … displays great courage.” Yusei looked out the tent flap toward the forest. “He … inspires me.”

“Inspires you … really.” Jaeger stared holes into Yusei. “You understand that this savage is the king's property. Just as the gold is—only more so. You don't get a percentage of this man. Understand? He's not to be touched or harmed in any way.”

Yusei opened his mouth, ready with a retort, but thought better of it. “Understood,” he said tersely.

Yusei strode out of the tent and swung astride his horse easily, suppressing the urge to grumble at the little man's insinuations. No doubt this was payback for his imagined slight against His Majesty. He should have known better than to even allude to such a subject. Still … “a percentage” of a man? As though he were interested in taking some sort of advantage of the man. This wasn't ancient times, when it was commonplace to degrade one's enemies in every possible way. And this man …

This man deserved his greatest respect.

It seemed unfair that they brought such overwhelming force to bear against such courage. No matter how bravely these men fought, they were doomed to defeat because they didn't have the sheer strength of arms, the horses and firepower, that had been brought to bear against them. The priests told him this was simply the will of God.

_But could it really be the will of God that such magnificent spirits be crushed?_

It was his mission, but his heart was heavy.

That warrior, so magnificent, should not be wasted in a hopeless cause. If it was at all possible, he would prevent his destruction.

* * *

“Move … out!”

Horses and cannon moved into position along the river. Yusei's men, as usual, were outnumbered, but it was cannon and guns against arrows and darts … no contest, really.

And then one of his cannoneers fell with a shout. Yusei scanned the trees. _Yes—it was him. The blond savage_. He kept his eyes glued to the man as a hail of arrows descended on his position.

This was the moment.

His own group split from the main, seeking shelter in the gorge mouth, only to be pursued by the contingent of tribesmen, led by the blond.

Yusei got his best look at the man yet: red war paint streaked his cheeks and bare chest, spikes of golden hair down the back of his neck to his shoulders. This tribe was oddly fair-skinned for the continent, but this man's skin was particularly so, shining like alabaster when the sun hit it. Was he incapable of tanning? He wore some sort of headdress adorned with shimmering green feathers from the exotic birds indigenous to the region. Two long tails of hair were tied off in front of his ears with beaded leather straps that had long, beautiful red and blue feathers dangling from them. The tendrils of hair flew wildly, reflecting the morning sun like the gold they so avidly sought in these wilds. His feet were bare, his ankles and wrists encircled by some sort of beaded and fringed bands. Other than that, his entire body was as bare as his feet save for the soft leather garment that protected his loins.

He was every bit as exotic as the beasts that dwelt here.

It was not only easy to keep track of the warrior, it was nearly impossible to tear his eyes from him.

But Yusei only had mere seconds to consider all these things as he retreated into the gorge.

As soon as his quarry had followed them into the canyon far enough, Yusei turned his forces around. A single piercing note from his bugler brought the reserves running. The exit was now now filled with armed men.

Instantly, the warrior looked about him and comprehended his position. He and his men were cut off. He called to his comrades in a language Yusei couldn't understand, his voice deep, resonant, and commanding, resounding off the sheer walls of the gorge.

As a volley of arrows flew through the air in all directions from that center, the warrior sprinted to one side and sprang to the near-vertical gorge wall and, amazingly, began to scale it, his fingers and bare toes finding grips where Yusei could see none.

_Does he know this gorge?_

“Don't let him escape!” yelled Yusei urgently. “But remember, do not kill him!”

 _The man is going for reinforcements to save his men_ , Yusei realized. _Of all his men, only he has the ability to climb out_. Yusei knew that, for such a tall man, climbing like that requires remarkable upper-body strength. He hesitated for just a moment, admiring the ripple of muscles through the warrior's back as he moved relentlessly up the wall. But he was moving up the wall quickly and if he got too far, he would be out of reach.

Yusei couldn't let this opportunity escape him.

“Men, close in on the position,” he called. "I'll see to the target!”

Releasing the main action to his lieutenants, he reached down to the stream bed and located several smooth stones about two to three centimeters in diameter. _If I can just hit his hand-hold_ …

But that was easier said than done because the warrior was climbing remarkably swiftly. Yusei had no time to spare. He gauged where the man's hand was reaching and threw. The stone missed by mere centimeters, smacking against the sheer rock face. The warrior glanced over his shoulder, his piercing gaze locking with Yusei's for an instant before turning back toward the lip of the gorge wall.

Yusei almost froze under the force of that gaze. It wasn't just that it was piercing; Yusei could have sworn that there was a gleam of violet there. He forced himself to concentrate on his objective. _People don't have violet eyes …_

Now the warrior was on alert and it was going to be even more difficult. Yusei made another guess and threw a little harder. But this time, both Yusei and the warrior miscalculated. Yusei pulled his throw in more closely to the warrior's body while the warrior pulled his body up even more quickly. The stone hit the warrior this time, but instead of striking him on the hand as Yusei intended, it hit him on the base of the skull sharply.

The warrior dropped like a stone—and his men had miscalculated and weren't properly positioned beneath the warrior.

Without thinking, Yusei dashed forward, heedlessly, arrows and poison darts raining about him, the shouts of his men ineffective in altering his course.

_This man …_

_He can't …_

_I can't have …_

**Chapter notes ...**

Title: I don't usually comment on my titles, but I'm sure many will miss the play on the definition of specimen as "a particular or peculiar kind of person."

_New World_ , _king_ , _Europe_ , etc: Yes, this AU is loosely based on the Spanish exploration/conquest of South America, but this is a complete fantasy version, to the point that Yusei's country isn't even meant to be Spain. ;) Call it Conquestia, or Avaricia ... Megalomania ... whatever.


	2. Objective

_I can't have killed this magnificent warrior!_ Yusei's mind screamed as he careened forward, the savage blond warrior dropping off the gorge wall before him.

Just in time, Yusei skidded beneath the falling body and caught him, managing somehow to cushion his head against his chest. It was a painful blow.

Yusei panted, recovering and trying to determine whether he'd injured himself during the effort. Kiryu stepped up and murmured, “You know that you didn't have to go to these lengths. Even Jaeger would have understood that the death was unavoidable. This is a battle, after all.”

“I know, but …” Yusei didn't want to admit that the irresistible impulse to save the man had nothing to do with orders, so he simply said, “you know how I hate to admit defeat when I don't have to.”

“To think that you'd be admitting defeat to this man here if he died.”

“In a way, I would be. My instructions are to capture this man. However, death in battle is honorable.” Yusei frowned. Had he done this man a disservice by saving him?

What were the king's plans, anyway? He wanted to know.

But here he was, still holding this ridiculously tall, ridiculously nude man in his arms, getting war paint smeared all over himself. Gently, he moved the heavy body off of his own, attempting to ascertain whether the man was injured. He was breathing—the fall hadn't killed him outright. His limbs seemed straight and relatively undamaged. And now that the shock of having a heavy, dead weight strike him had worn off sufficiently, Yusei checked himself and determined that, aside from some bruises, he seemed to be unharmed other than having slight difficulty breathing.

Seeing the blond savage so close-up, though, had a strange effect on him. Now that he had his hands on the man's bare skin, for some reason he didn't want to let go of him. He didn't understand why that was, but as his men came forward and bound the man's ankles and tied his wrists behind him, Yusei almost resented the fact that they were following orders. He didn't like seeing their hands on his arms and legs. He especially didn't like seeing them grasp his shoulders and thighs to carry him to be imprisoned.

If anyone was to touch him, Yusei wanted it to be himself and himself alone. He shook his head to clear it, thinking, _What's wrong with me?_

Kiryu seemed to catch his expression and looked at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I'll be fine,” he said, grimacing. “It's just the impact. I'm still getting my breath back.”

As though Kiryu had read his thoughts, Kiryu continued, “What's wrong with you, anyway? He's a savage. An enemy. You act as though—”

Yusei turned to face Kiryu directly and said, “As though what, Kiryu?”

“Not a thing, Sir,” he said, but he didn't sound fully satisfied.

“Good. Good. I want you to have an appropriate transport built that we can draw by horse. It should be secure, but I don't want it to be inhumane. I want this man treated with respect, do you hear me?”

“Yes sir, I'll see to it. But why is this so important to you?”

Yusei scowled. He was a warrior who would expect to die in battle. Yusei felt that he somehow dishonored him by taking him prisoner like this. But that's not what his orders were at all. After a pause, he said drily, “As you know, the king considers him important. He did not entrust us with his reasons, and they are unimportant to our objectives. Our mission is to bring the prisoner to court undamaged so that he can be properly examined and interrogated. He is no ordinary prisoner, understand? If he is sick or damaged in any way, we will suffer for it, depend on it.”

“Yes sir.”

Yusei was particularly glad of the king's orders in one respect. He could use them as a rationale for his own orders regarding the handling of the prisoner. Which left him with only one concern:

Why did he care?

* * *

Yusei ordered that the cage be stationed near his tent so that he could ensure that the prisoner be treated humanely. However, in addition to that, Yusei felt a curiosity about the man. He knew he wasn't the only one. After all, they had all seen his intense aggressiveness and intuitive flair for battle. He had been on the brink of succeeding in escaping to call for help for his sortie when they had captured him.

Once camp had been secured, the men were settled and the horses seen to, Yusei came around to the prisoner's cage. At last he could examine him at his leisure. The last he'd seen of him at close range was when his men had bound him and carried him off. Now he was caged, his hands still bound together. His feet had been retied with his feet linked together so that he could move a little but not walk easily nor run.

_Can we learn to communicate, I wonder_ , Yusei thought, approaching the rough-hewn cage. By the light of sunset, he peered in at the man. He was a little surprised by his own disappointment at finding him awake. _I wanted to be here when he woke up_ , Yusei thought, noting that the warrior was coiled in the far corner of the cage. “What's your name?” he asked.

The blond warrior turned his head toward him, his proud chin lifted high, the raging pink fire of the sunset painting the fair skin of his cheeks with an artificial blush. He was scowling, crouched like a white panther with his bound hands between his knees.

“My name is Yusei,” Yusei said, pointing to himself. “What is your name?” He pointed to the warrior.

The man bared nearly perfect, even teeth in a grimace as though to show his distaste for this game, then reluctantly moved forward, not fully rising to his feet. The cage wasn't quite large enough for him to stand and his feet were bound too closely for him to move with any grace. He came right up to the bars in front of Yusei where he could feel his aura. Yusei felt that if is hands weren't bound, they would snap through the bars and clamp around his neck. But that sensation was completely forgotten when he saw the man's eyes.

They were violet.

Could eyes even _be_ that color? Yusei blinked, wondering if the sunset somehow created that illusion, but no. On further examination, it was undeniable. His eyes were violet, the pink of the sunset lending them fiery highlights. And those violet eyes were blazingly alive with raging emotion.

Yusei imagined he knew what that emotion was, and he wished he could explain. But even if he could, he felt the man wouldn't forgive him.

He'd never forgive him for taking him alive to give to his king.

Yusei wanted to howl, “ _These are my orders!_ ” but it was the man in the cage who spoke strange-sounding words. “Atlas. Jack.”

“What?”

“Name. Jack Atlas.”

Yusei let out a shuddering sigh, looking at the warrior, who was now pointing to himself, violet eyes flashing. He pointed at Yusei. “Name. Yusei.” He pointed at himself again. “Jack Atlas.”

“Jack,” Yusei repeated with a nod. “It looks like we will be able to learn to communicate.” He pointed to his mouth and moved his finger back and forth between himself and Jack in a give-and-take motion. “Communicate,” he said, very slowly.

“Com-mu-ni-cate,” Jack repeated, frowning.

_I need to assign someone to teach him_ , thought Yusei, trying to think of someone who would be a good candidate. “Ah! I'll be right back,” he said.

“Rua!” Yusei called.

Hurriedly, a boy ran over. “Yes, Sir?” The boy had managed to attach himself to the division while they were training back home. He was too young to fight, so Yusei had assigned him duties as a page and errand-boy.

“You know our prisoner, right? His name is Jack Atlas. I want you to teach him our language. Also, if you see anyone mistreating him, I want to know about it right away. He might be our enemy, but he fought with valor and I don't want to see him treated disrespectfully.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Rua?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“What do you think of the prisoner? You know why we've taken him alive?”

“It was the king's orders, right?”

“Yes.”

“We can't disobey, then. And …”

“Yes, Rua?”

Rua looked a little embarrassed. “I … He's such a good fighter and … the odds were—”

“The odds were overwhelming.”

Rua nodded.

“It's not a bad thing for you to respect your enemy, Rua.”

“Good.”

“Good, then, I've assigned the right person to this task. You'll take good care of him. Ensure that he is treated well and make sure he eats and has plenty of water.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yusei walked back to the cage with Rua and pointed to him. “Rua. He'll teach you.”

“Teach?”

-Yusei rubbed his jaw trying to figure out how to act that one out.

“I'll show him … eventually,” Rua said confidently. “Might take a little while, though.”

* * *

Soon afterward, Yusei stood in the command tent with Jaeger and Kiryu discussing their mission status.

“I believe our next move is to rendezvous with Demak _here_ ,” Yusei said, pointing at the map. There was a remote fort established by previous expedition well down a southern tributary of the Amazon. “Unless, of course, he catches up with us before we get there.”

“I agree,” said Jaeger. “He'll have our next objective.”

“And if something has happened to him?” asked Kiryu.

“Ever the optimist, I see,” commented Jaeger. “In that case, we won't see him at the rendezvous. We'll only wait for him for, say, a month.”

“And after that?”

“We cut the journey short. We bring the prisoner home unless we have a specific objective.”

Yusei looked at Jaeger, surprised. “He's that valuable?”

“It's the king's orders. If you have questions, you can ask him personally when we get back,” he said. Shrugging, he went on. “In any case, I'm not taking any chances. We're not going forward without any specific objectives.”

“So Demak—”

“He knows exactly what the king needs out of this expedition. We're not here simply to swell the coffers, Captain, at least not directly.”

Yusei walked back to his tent with Kiryu, thinking over his orders. Kiryu glanced at him. “I know what you're thinking,” he said.

“Do you?”

“You're wondering what the king has in mind for that prisoner that's so important that he's willing to leave plunder to other expeditions.”

“It had crossed my mind,” he allowed. “Our king isn't frivolous. He doesn't simply collect wildlife and interesting foreign characters to show off in court.”

“Which means he has some sort of practical purpose in mind for this barbarian.”

Yusei practically snickered. “Barbarian!” It was difficult for him to picture his prisoner and think of that particular word as a description for him. “Do you really think that man is a barbarian, Kiryu?”

“Don't let his appearance fool you, Yusei. That man is nothing like us, and if he had half a chance, he'd slit every throat in camp without a second thought.”

“I'm sure you're right,” Yusei said, trying to sound nonchalant. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel a little sad about the circumstances. Was it the similar position that they held within their respective groups? Whatever it was, he felt a strange kinship with his prisoner that was hard to shake—no, he didn't want to shake it. He wanted to know more about this man. More than that, he wanted to know what the king wanted with him, as much as he suspected that was more than he should want to know.

He bid farewell to Kiryu, letting him head toward his tent. It was easy to check on the prisoner without seeming to pay too much attention because his cage was nearby. Speckles of moonlight filtering through the canopy gleamed on his skin, making it look oddly silver. He was awake, alert despite the hour.

_He's hoping for a chance to escape_ , Yusei realized.

He quietly walked up to the night watch and alerted him, murmuring instructions to keep a careful watch on the prisoner. There was no way he was going to allow lack of vigilance to allow his prisoner to slip away in the night.

With that, to his bedroll, and an uneasy rest.

* * *

A few miles behind, a shadow flitted through the forest. The night was not the best time for tracking, not by a long shot, but the moonlight helped, and this was no average tracker.

Crow followed the trail easily.

_Ha! These foreigners left a trail as wide as the Great Northern Mother-River herself._

But Crow was not happy. He'd been on his way back from a scouting mission when all of this had happened. Doing advance scouting for hunting parties with his people dying! He'd come back to find the summer encampment in ruins, the few survivors regrouping. They'd pointed the way to the battle site.

The foreigners had killed all Jack's men, but Jack had not been among them. Nor had Jack returned to the encampment …

What was left of it.

He didn't understand these foreigners, why they were so interested in killing. It wasn't as though the peoples could fight back. These men could take whatever they wanted. They could set up whatever they wanted. They could empty the great temples and the distant palaces.

Why wipe out little villages?

And why take his best friend?

It made no sense to him.

In any case, his people were all but exterminated, the survivors heading to join up with friendly tribes to the south. He had no one left to protect.

No one at all, except his one friend, his best friend … and more importantly …

He recalled a day years ago, when he was preparing to undergo the rite of manhood, his father called him aside.

He'd pointed to his friend Jack, as he dove from the high cliff into the deep river to swim. “I know this boy is your best friend,” he'd said.

“Yes.”

“I want you to keep an eye on him.”

“Why? He's the strongest boy my age. He looks after _me_.”

“You know that he is a gift to our people.”

“It's said.”

“Do you know why?”

He shook his head.

“He was found by the shaman. He was sent to us by the ancient Sea People for certain. If any evil comes to him because of us, it will bring calamity upon us. Promise me you will watch over him as best you can.”

“I will, father.”

At the time, Crow had watched Jack swimming and climbing back up the cliff to dive again. He'd wondered how he could ever look after his friend, who was so strong and capable and excelled at everything. As if he'd ever need Crow's help with anything.

Shaking the memory out of his head, Crow considered how things had turned out. Jack, so amazing, had been captured nonetheless. The signs of it were everywhere. It wasn't just that he hadn't found him; it was the signs in the canyon. The great battle, the sign of a fall. The feather from Jack's headdress. And now there was no one left to help him.

No one, that is, except Crow.

He continued on the trail, silently.

_Spirits, help me._

**Chapter notes ...**

I don't have much to say, other than to caution that, with another story that I'm working on and slowly porting stuff over, progress on this story is likely to be slower than usual for me. I apologize for this in advance.


	3. The Prize

The quickest path north to the settlement was hardly rapid by Yusei's reckoning. Looking at his map, he realized that there was actually a “road” through the forest not too far from their current location. That was lucky. The road wasn't much more than a well-worn path, but it meant that they wouldn't have to cut their way through. The most that they'd have to do is trim enough to get the carts and cannon through.

He informed the men that they'd strike out early the next morning and spent the remainder of the day overseeing preparations for a trek through the forest. Not too much had to be done because they had been almost constantly on the move pursuing Jack's tribe. Still, he wanted to ensure that nothing was left unsecured, particularly the prisoner.

That evening, Yusei sat outside his tent drinking tea, trying to wind down enough to sleep. _I shouldn't have so much on my mind_ , he thought. _It's not like we haven't been moving since we arrived_. Still, this was a change of focus. After all, he had been searching for this special tribe for some time, then actively pursuing it. But now that the native the king wanted had been captured, all that was over. He should be able to relax.

The usual cacophony of jungle noises had descended upon them with the sunset. A lot of his men were a little spooked by them and, yes, he had to agree that a lot of the noises that came from the inky blackness of the canopy were truly weird. He would have to ask Jack about them when they could converse better.

He smiled, looking forward to that time with pleasure. He ascribed it to his curiosity about his surroundings. _It would be nice to have someone who really knew this place to tell me about it_ , he thought. _And talking about it with someone with whom I have so much in common …_ A frown creased his brow. _If I can ease the grudge he must bear against me, of course._ It was so easy for him to forget their circumstances; he was positive it was impossible for Jack to forget them.

He realized that he had glanced over to the prisoner's cage, seeing Jack silhouetted in the moonlight. Rua had seen to him, given him water to wash with and clothing from their limited stores. Even so, he'd chosen to wear only a pair of worn pantaloons, the shirt cast into a corner of his cage. A tattered horse blanket rested on his bedding. His bright war feathers had been carefully set aside, his hair now tied neatly back with whatever twine he'd been able to scrounge.

Jack was looking out toward the river, his blond hair glowing almost white in the moonlight. Just then, an eerie, whooping bird call floated out from the darkness of the forest and Yusei saw Jack's head swivel toward the source of the call, appearing in profile for a moment, dark, outlined in shining moonlight. He stood, impulsively, leaning up against that side of his cage for a moment, as though unsure what to do. Then, looking around him, seemed to catch Yusei looking at him, and sat down again, gazing out toward the river once more.

_What was that?_

Yusei frowned. _That noise … it was some sort of bird. It wasn't human. … Was it?_

Standing, he walked over to the man standing watch over the prisoner and had a word with him to stay alert. It wouldn't hurt to add a guard, he thought, and roused Kiryu right then to arrange it. If there was someone out there, it was no use trying to catch him in that jungle, especially at night.

_Let him try and come get Jack. We'll be ready for him._

* * *

Crow, positioned in a tall tree near the camp, gave the signal and watched Jack carefully. He hadn't replied to the call, but the guard was right there. Still, he stood as well as he could and looked up toward Crow's position with intensity. Crow let out two soft, confirming hoots and fell silent.

All was not well, though. It looked like his effort was not completely unnoticed. Damn, but that guy who captured Jack was good! He was up and moving already, his eyes on Jack. Crow frowned and smiled to himself simultaneously. Of course he was good. He had to be to catch Jack, right?

_Well, I'm good, too._

He watched as Yusei spoke with the guard and then walked over into a tent. The man in that tent roused a soldier and sent him to stand sentry next to Jack's cage.

Crow held back his laughter. _Station as many guards as you want_ , he thought. _I can be patient_. Crow had chosen this tree well so that he could sleep up in the canopy without falling out. Now, he settled back into the hammock-like bed he'd fashioned for the night. _Take Jack wherever you want to. I'll get him if I have to follow him to the ends of the earth!_

Thus resolved, Crow fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack stared out toward the river, his face set in a calm expression as his mind roiled within. It had been unmistakable. The call was from one of his people. The two owl-like hoots had confirmed it. These soldiers had slaughtered all his people—or so he'd thought. Had there been survivors? If so, there was some reason for hope.

Hope.

He had been searching for a reason to hope ever since that last battle. Ever since he'd made that terrible miscalculation and led his party to their doom. He should have foreseen it!

This man, this foreign soldier—he had known that the gorge was blind and used it to trap them, using his own instincts against him. Now his men were dead and he didn't even know if any of his people survived. He doubted it.

Or he had until a few moments ago. If only he could see who it was.

An additional guard appeared near his cage. Jack could hear the soft murmur of the two guards exchanging a few words as they settled into their watch. He wondered what they were saying and if any of it had to do with him. Since they weren't hurling any sort of obvious insult in his direction, he assumed they were talking idly about dinner or discussing their chief or something like that.

He resolved to learn their language quickly so that he would better understand where he stood.

And that was something else that was bothering him. Why that chief had sent the boy Rua to teach him. Jack frowned, thinking it over. Why would … Captain Yusei … that was it, his name … why would he do all these things, kill Jack's people, take him prisoner, then teach him? Did he want Jack to tell him something? What could Jack possibly tell him that would be of interest to him? It wasn't as though Jack wasn't valuable, of course; it was simply that these people had amazing weapons that—if he didn't know better—he would believe was some sort of sorcery.

Captain Yusei was a very strange man, Jack concluded. He had a difficult time reading his motives. And there was the way he looked at Jack at odd moments, with those strange, huge, dark blue eyes of his. The expression in them was entirely unreadable, but it made him feel singularly peculiar.

* * *

Crow recognized the path they were taking into the forest and thought, _Are they seriously considering heading north?_ There was nothing but miles and miles of jungle there, headhunting tribes that used poison darts, panthers; the list went on. Even the rivers were filled with dangers such as crocodiles, piranha, and all manner of worms that could do unspeakable things within your body. He shook his head and shivered a little despite the warm humidity of the morning as he waited for the men to disappear into the foliage. He didn't have to follow on their heels; he could be blind and still track them.

Jack had spent a nearly sleepless night watching his watchers and listening for further signals from the forest. Nothing had developed on either front. His guards were depressingly vigilant, and now he found that his cage had an armed escort. He settled into a cross-legged position. _How can I be so important to them?_ he wondered. And as the group moved forward through the forest, he pondered that question.

Yusei led his men, occasionally moving to the rear to ensure that the group was maintaining integrity. He wanted to make the fort as quickly as possible. He disliked pitching camp in the middle of uncharted dense forest. He spent much of the day reminding his men to keep it moving.

It was hard going, but the expedition made it to the so-called fort in a mere two days. After the men pitched camp, Yusei called Kiryu over. “After we finish pitching camp, schedule leave for the men around their required duties. There isn't much to do here, but this is the closest thing to civilization we've seen in weeks, and the men need to blow off some steam. Make sure you put yourself on the list.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I'll put you on the list as well.”

“Kiryu? I—”

“Sir, you need some rest as well as anyone in the unit.”

Yusei sighed. “I suppose you're right,” he admitted.

In fact, the very next day Yusei found himself looking around the grimy little village. It really was tiny: aside from a small detachment of troops, it consisted of just a few little shacks for trade and a couple of huts set up along the river. He hoped Demak would show up soon. Otherwise, he would have to make work for his men.

For now, the men spent their days gaming and gambling, and their evenings drinking in the little ramshackle bar. No doubt they were the best thing that happened to this flyspeck in years. Meanwhile, Yusei found himself taking his tea next to his prisoner's wagon, where Rua was teaching him.

It turned out that Jack was learning quickly and they could already carry on a rudimentary conversation.

“That?” asked Jack, pointing to the tray holding Yusei's tea set.

“This?” Yusei asked. “You mean, 'What's that?' It's tea. Would you like some?”

Jack nodded. “Yes.”

Yusei poured him a cup and passed it through the bars. Jack took it and sniffed it. “Be careful, it's hot,” Yusei warned.

Jack nodded again. No doubt the steam tipped him off. He took a sip and grimaced, then held the cup out through the bars. “Bitter.”

Yusei smiled and took it back. “It's an acquired taste.”

Jack looked confused. “A … Ack quired?” he repeated.

Rua nattered off a weird mixture of both their languages. It was so quick and strange-sounding that Yusei couldn't understand how that would help, but Jack nodded and murmured something in his own language, then repeated, “Acquired taste. I see.”

“You've learned his language very quickly, Rua,” Yusei marveled.

“It helps me explain things.”

Yusei smiled at that. “Here, Jack,” he said, picking up a date cookie from the tray, “try this.”

Jack looked at the cookie suspiciously, but took it.

“Try it, it's good,” urged Rua, taking the opportunity to grab a cookie for himself. He demonstrated how good it was by jamming it into his mouth and devouring it.

Jack took a small bite of his own cookie, then pushed the remainder into his mouth, consuming it with relish. “Good. Try tea again.”

As Rua handed Jack his cup, Yusei smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but then he heard Kiryu behind him. “Excuse me, sir, but Demak has arrived.”

“Thanks, Kiryu.” Yusei stood. “Rua, you can finish the tea.”

“Thanks, Captain Yusei!” he cried happily. There were several date cookies left. “I promise to share these—well, at least a couple of them!”

Yusei followed Kiryu back towards the command tent. “When did he arrive?”

“Not ten minutes ago. I know you wanted to be informed immediately.”

“Yes. Good work.”

As soon as they came within sight of the tent, Yusei noticed that Jaeger was already there talking to Demak in low tones, the weasel. _Whatever_ , he thought. _It's not as though he can accomplish anything here without our help_. Still, he hated putting his men at the beck and call of the effete little man.

Yusei kept his face calm despite his irritation as he entered the shelter. “Demak,” he said, “I trust your scouting mission was fruitful?”

“Very. I was just filling Jaeger in on the highlights.”

“I hope that it won't be too much trouble to repeat the salient details.”

“Of course not. As a matter of fact, I'm certain you will find this next mission more profitable than your last.” The man grinned, adding, “If my information is correct, it will be the making of the this entire expedition for your men.”

“You speak of treasure, I assume?” That was what many of his men were hoping for.

“Naturally.” Giving Yusei a conspiratorial smile, he said, “We are going to a legendary pyramid that hides a trove of gold. Enough for the king and all of your men. I only hope you have enough men to transport and guard it.”

“I've heard that one before.”

“This one is factual.”

“And you've seen this fabled gold?”

“Not yet, but I have any number of sources. I have a definite location. The descriptions all match up.”

“Hm. I'll believe it when I find it,” Yusei said. He'd followed enough rumors to doubt. He'd also carried off enough gold not to discount rumors out of hand. Can you draw me a map?”

“I'll not only draw you a map, I'll lead you there myself. Once we have this in hand, we're heading back.”

“So soon?” Yusei sent an eyebrow skyward.

“If this treasure exists, it will be so large that we won't be able to manage any further adventure.”

This stretched Yusei's credulity, but he decided not to challenge it. The haul would speak for itself, one way or the other. “Good,” he said. “Come show me.” He moved to the table where his maps and charts were piled.

Jaeger trailed after eagerly, saying, “Tell Captain Fudo about your sources, Demak. You'll see what a promising lead this is, Yusei.”

“Ah, yes, yes. There are traditional stories from the river tribes off here,” Demak said, pulling out a map and pointing. “They claim it is their ancestors who built the pyramid. It is said to contain a great wealth of gold dedicated to the gods.”

“And they do not dare touch it.”

“Exactly,” Demak said with a shrug. “Moreover, I found a European, a deserter from an earlier expedition.”

“Which one?”

“Have you heard of the Pegasus expedition?”

“That was years ago!”

“Yes, and this man stayed behind, purely to pursue rumors of this one great treasure. He barely escaped, but he came away with _this_.” Demak pulled something out of his pocket and dropped it into Yusei's hand.

It was heavy. Yusei looked at the small thing, staring. It was some sort of ancient god, he thought, its large round, empty eyes staring back at him; mouth full of jagged teeth grinning. He wondered what it was supposed to be exactly. It looked vaguely crocodilian.

“He warned me away, said the pyramid was full of traps, but there was treasure beyond comprehension. He couldn't get to the center, but he was able to find an outer offering room. It's worth the risk.”

“How does he even know that this treasure hasn't been looted already?”

“If the outer areas aren't picked clean, it stands to reason. As I said, it's worth the risk. And now, it's more legend than common knowledge, so it's unlikely that someone has been there recently.”

“Very well. I'll have the men pack. We leave in two days.”

“Good. I'll get you there quickly.”

* * *

Yusei was concerned about his prisoner. Rua had mentioned that he didn't think that Jack had been sleeping. Yusei had assigned a guard to ensure that Jack didn't escape, but he was pretty sure that Jack was testing the alertness of the watch, trying to outlast them.

Eventually, the man would have to succumb. If he didn't, his health would suffer.

Yusei kept an eye on him. They were on the move, so he didn't have a great deal of time to spend watching his prisoner. There were many higher-priority issues to attend to. They were currently moving through dense jungle, a slow and difficult endeavor given that they were bringing artillery and now a wagon containing a prisoner.

Yusei monitored the long, thin line of personnel, squeezing up and down through the opening that they'd cut through the jungle. Demak swore there was a path in here somewhere, but he had his doubts. His compass told him they would reach the great river eventually, which would take them back to the Atlantic, so if they didn't find the lost city that Jaeger was so set on locating, the effort wouldn't be a total loss.

Each time he passed the prisoner's wagon, he stole a glance at the man, who crouched, staring at his captors with glassy eyes. Yusei sighed. He had to admire the man's optimism, no matter how unrealistic it was for him to try to outlast a battalion of men switching off watches.

Yusei returned to the head of the progression, where Demak walked, picking out the ancient roadway. He had his notebook out, opened to a page on which he'd drawn a map and written many notes. He was scanning the way ahead avidly, occasionally stopping and kneeling to pick his way ahead.

“You really think that you can find this place?” asked Yusei.

“I do.”

“I'd rather you'd have located it first and then come back and got us.”

“There's good reason to bring you along, Captain. This country is totally unexplored and we might well need you as an escort. Besides, the natives often dislike exploration and exploitation of such places and if we attract unwanted attention, it's best that we remove any objects we want before the natives have the chance to marshal their forces.” He stopped stock still, however, sighing heavily. “However, I think it would be best if I scout ahead and locate a better indication of the path. This section is so overgrown I can barely tell where it was.”

“Good. I want to rest the men anyway. Do you hear water up ahead? Let's stop there.”

Yusei brought his horse around to check the prisoner's wagon when they stopped by the stream. He alit and stood, intending to watch for just a minute.

Jack had finally given way to sleep during the journey and was lying on his side on the bottom of his cage in the straw he'd been provided.

As usual, it was remarkably difficult for Yusei to tear his eyes away from the sight. The young man was just so _unusual_ , and his unconscious state lent him a certain quality of vulnerability that he ordinarily lacked.

Yusei realized he was unconsciously rubbing his hands together and stared down at them. He looked at them, front and back. They were tingling strangely.

_What is … ?_

Then he realized. He looked back toward Jack and brought a hand up to the bridge of his nose. He still remembered the sensation of holding Jack's body, his bare skin against the palms of his hands. He wanted to touch that strangely pale skin, run his hands over it, stroke his side from chest to hip, glide a finger down his neck and feel the pulse throbbing there … Up that long thigh, down the flat stomach …

“Captain? Are you feeling all right?”

Yusei looked around, fighting to control his breathing. His other hand gripped a bar of the cage. He felt a light flush in his cheeks from his train of thought, but more embarrassing was the general state of arousal that had overcome him.

_This isn't obvious, is it?_

“Commander Kiryu? I'm all right. Why do you ask?”

“You look … ill.”

“I came by to check on the prisoner and I began to feel the effect of the heat. I think it's the nearness of the river.”

“We'll be approaching the large river for some time, sir. Will you be all right?”

“I'll acclimate, I'm sure. Thank you, Commander.”

“Yes sir,” he said. “I'll see to the men.” Kiryu departed, but not without a backward look of concern.

Yusei himself was concerned. He walked down to the edge of the stream and sat on a broad stone. Rua ran over with some fresh water and fruit. He thanked the boy but didn't prolong the conversation. He needed to think.

He couldn't deny it any longer; his body's responses to his own wayward thoughts had been plain enough. Was it just that he had been apart from Lady Akiza and female companionship in general so long that a beautiful male body could now move him? Or was it simply that he had certain _proclivities_ that this man was bringing to the surface?

Whatever the case was and no matter how disturbing he found that last thought, his feelings for this man were anything but appropriate and he feared what he might do. Worse, this man was destined for the king. He frowned. If only he knew why the king was so set on him. Could it truly be for the silly purpose of showing him off at court? Or did he have a more arcane purpose in mind?

In any case, he couldn't afford to allow himself to remain so preoccupied by thoughts about this man. These distractions could only serve to endanger their entire mission. He couldn't afford to indulge this infatuation lest it turn into obsession. He'd seen enough of that in his men and it never turned out well.

He finished his small meal and stood. Yusei re-mounted his steed and began to pull the men back into formation. He forced himself not to check the prisoner's status as he did so.

The force began to cut slowly into the jungle once more.

* * *

Yusei had his force move forward, penetrating deeply into the jungle, based on Demak's word. How well they could rely on such tales was anyone's guess. But Demak had traveled these lands for several years and learned several native languages at least well enough to get by.

Yusei approached the space near the head of the line where Demak and Jaeger were walking along, peering into the jungle ahead.

“Can you tell me what kind of progress we're making?” asked Yusei.

“This is the area where the great golden city Cibola is said to have been,” said Demak, showing Yusei his map and pointing. “You see the river, here, and the ridge up ahead, there?”

“Ridge? All I see are trees and jungle.”

“You can see it when the river valley widens out and when you climb up and look over the canopy.”

“Fine,” Yusei said. “Halt!”

He had the contingent pause to rest while he clambered to the top a tall tree along the bank of the river. Looking out over the jungle canopy, he indeed saw the long ridge that Demak had indicated. Moreover, he saw a large, pyramidal shape grown over with vines.

This was—

His pulse quickened, but he made himself wait silently for a minute to allow his pulse to calm before returning to the jungle floor. Any gold there might, after all, be gone after all these years, pillaged by previous conquerors.

When he stood in the warm, moist shade of the jungle overhang again, he turned to face the scout. “Very well, Demak,” he said, “I see your ridge. We'll carry on as you say.”

“No sign of the city?” pressed Jaeger.

“I see _the ridge_ ,” Yusei said pointedly. Jaeger looked back with disappointment.

“Good. I'm positive we'll find that city.”

“If we don't find it along this river, I'll not search these mountains endlessly on a wild goose chase,” Yusei warned. Although he knew that the city was out there, he didn't want his men excited prematurely when it was unnecessary. If they caught gold fever, some might abandon camp and attempt to carry off booty on their own, endangering their comrades and risking their own lives.

“You won't regret it, I promise you.”

“I hope not. I have heard that such places are riddled with traps, however.”

“Why not talk to your pet, then? He can probably tell you something about it.”

“Natives?” Yusei said dismissively. “In my experience, they rarely know anything about their own surroundings—at least, not in a way that can be strategically helpful. In any case, I've only begun to be able to communicate with him. Come with me. You should meet him anyway. No doubt you'll find him interesting.” Yusei led the way to the prisoner's cage, where Jack was lifting himself by the bars at the top of the cage. Was he keeping his muscles from atrophying, Yusei wondered. Whatever Jack's motive, Yusei could see the muscles moving under the skin the man's shoulders and back as he exercised. Yusei attempted to divert his attention by summarizing the king's orders and the capture.

“I see,” said Demak. “So that's how this specimen came to be here and why you continue to care for him. I wonder … he is so different from most of the native tribes I've encountered.”

“How so?”

“Look at him. He's so … European, so fair. Blond. Tall. His face is angular, with high cheekbones. His eyes are … They're violet? No wonder the king wants a prize such as this! Have you not heard the rumors?”

At this, Jaeger practically burst a seam, sputtering, “You know very well why the king wants this man!”

At the same time, Yusei replied, “Rumors? Rumors about the king? What are you implying?”

“Apparently you haven't,” said Demak, ignoring Jaeger.

Yusei stopped and looked at Demak expectantly.

He snorted, and, glancing sidelong at Jager, said, “Well, I'm not going to elaborate if you aren't aware. Ask around. Someone's sure to have heard. There is never a shortage of people with salacious minds.”

“Salacious—!” Yusei frowned, his gaze snapping back to Jack, who was now pulling up by his ankles. It couldn't have been easy to get his feet situated among the upper bars, but Jack was persistent if nothing else. He was intent on maintaining readiness.

As Yusei turned his attention to Jack, Jaeger placed himself squarely in front of Demak, stretching himself to his full height. “I'll thank you not to smear the name of our good king when you know exactly why he's collecting this sort of specimen.”

“His rationale is tenuous at best, specious at worst—or perhaps it's just a pretext, or an action that serves two purposes?”

“Please! You've seen the evidence—you collected most of it yourself!”

Yusei let the argument fade into the background, focusing on Jack. _I'm sorry, Jack_ , Yusei thought. _It's hopeless for you. Just as it's hopeless for your people_. “Demak!” he called forcefully, “you were saying something about Jack—this prisoner.”

“Jack?”

“His name. He told us he's called Jack Atlas.”

“Atlas? Really? That's … It's too coincidental. In fact … I wonder.”

“Would you mind telling me what the hell you're talking about, Demak?”

He looked at Yusei with wide eyes, then smiled smoothly and said, “Legend, Captain Fudo, Legend. Haven't you heard of the titan Atlas?”

“What was I telling you?!” Jaeger chimed in, to no one's notice.

“Of course I have,” Yusei replied, “but what would that have to do with him?”

“Probably nothing. Still, the Atlas Mountains are named for him. Couldn't it be true of this savage? What does it have to do with him? That's what I'd like to know.”

Yusei stared at Demak, then shook his head. “Coincidence.”

“Hmph. Introduce us.”

Yusei stepped up to the cage and said, “Jack.”

Jack untangled his feet from the top of the cage and dropped to its floor, turning to face them. “Captain Yusei,” he said.

Demak glanced at Yusei at the familiarity. Yusei continued, “This man is a scout, Demak. Please answer his questions.”

Unable to draw up to his full height in the cage, Jack crouched, folding his arms, waiting.

“Your name is Atlas? And your skin. It's lighter than most tribes. Can you tell me about your forefathers? Where does your family come from?”

“Why?”

“I'm curious. I seek out information about places and things.”

“That little one asked the same questions.”

“Little one?” asked Yusei. _Jaeger?_ He looked over his shoulder. _Is this something that the king wanted to know?_

Demak just smiled. “That's all right, then. You can give me the same answer you gave him.”

Jack's eyes narrowed, but he said, “Don't know. Was found.”

“'Found'?”

“A baby in the jungle, found.”

“Ah, you say you were a foundling.”

“Found … ling?”

“You don't know who your parents or people are?”

“No.”

“Then … your name. Where did you get it?”

“Blanket.”

“Blanket?”

The warrior nodded.

“Oh, you were wrapped in a blanket. It had your name woven in?”

He nodded again.

He glanced at Yusei. “And yet that native people could understand it. Hm.” Turning back toward Jack, he asked, “Do you have any idea who your people might be?”

“No.”

“So the tribe you were with … the people you were with, had no idea? They didn't know?”

Jack shrugged. “They told stories, but … I don't believe.”

“You didn't believe the stories that they told about where you might have come from?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me?”

Jack looked reluctant and eyed Yusei.

“Would you tell me?” asked Yusei.

Jack eyed Demak with distrust.

“I think it would be all right to tell the story in front of him,” Yusei said. He hoped what he said was the truth.

Jack nodded. “Old, old story from Crow's people says … there was great nation that was part of sea.”

“An island?”

“Island …”

“A piece of land that comes out of the sea.”

“Island … yes. They called Sea People. The nation, the people, very smart, very rich. Nation gone long time now. People …” he paused, trying to find the words. “Like seeds on wind.”

“Scattered?” suggested Yusei, spreading out his hands to demonstrate.

Jack nodded, repeating the word thoughtfully. “Scattered, and dead. Long, long time, Crow's people say. Many lives past now.” He shrugged dismissively. “Long time gone.”

Demak looked eager. “Do they know the name of this place?”

“No.”

“So, if it's been gone all this time, why would they think you came from there?”

“Tall. Light.”

“The people there are supposed to be tall and pale, like you?”

“Yes.”

Demak pulled Yusei aside. “I want to learn more of these legends, but I don't think this man is interested enough in them to know much. I want to scout near-by tribes.”

“Now is not the time. Let's wait until after we locate this city of yours … or not.” Yusei didn't want the man to wander off prematurely.

“Very well,” he said. “But if we're attacked, I want to interview any natives you capture before they're disposed of.”

“Very well.”

Demak turned back to Jack. “Have you heard about the great city Cibola?”

Jack shook his head.

Then perhaps you've heard of the great cities with pyramids?”

“Pyr … Pyra …?”

“They're like stone mountains, built by men,” Demak said, demonstrating by leaning his fingertips together.

Jack's eyes widened in realization, and he glanced toward Yusei before looking toward Demak and answering, “Such places …” he struggled for words for a moment, then said, “bad luck.”

“Silly superstition,” Demak muttered to Yusei. Then, to Jack, he said, “We have strong enough magic to overcome ill omen.”

“We know such places,” Jack said in suspicious tones.

“What do you know?” Demak asked eagerly.

“Enough to leave alone,” he said.

Demak pressed Jack further, but he would say no more, even when Demak questioned him in the various native tongues he knew. Finally, Demak decided he would get no more and turned off to discuss things with Jaeger.

Yusei watched the two walk off and turned back to his captive with a little bit of relief. Jack turned his intense violet gaze on him, sparking uncomfortable twinges of guilt. “Great Chief would like let me out?”

“I would like to let you out, Jack, but I'm not allowed to. If I let you out, you'd run away and I would be killed for disobeying orders.”

“Killed …” Jack looked at him with an expression that Yusei couldn't quite read. Could it be conflict? Regret?

“That wouldn't be bad for you, would it? I'm your enemy.”

Jack looked at him oddly. “I do not understand you,” he admitted. “You do not beat me. You teach me, feed me.”

“But I do not let you go.”

“You did not kill me,” Jack said, his confusion evident in his tone.

“I should have killed you in battle, I know. Maybe it's strange, but my orders are to bring you in alive. The king wants you as some sort of prize; I'm sorry, I don't know why. I don't know his plans.” Yusei's gaze faltered. “Killing you might have been the right thing to do … but … honestly, Jack, I'm glad you're alive. I like talking to you. It would have been a shame to lose someone … like you.” He wanted to say “as magnificent as you,” but what would Jack think? The troops thought he was ridiculously attached to this prisoner as it was. They didn't seem to comprehend that he was unique, spectacular, his heart and physical capacity …

Coming to his senses, he found the warrior staring at him curiously, violet eyes shining. “What is great Chief thinking?” he asked.

“Can't you just call me Yusei? Aren't you the equivalent of a captain to your people? I like to think of us as equals.”

“You conquered me … Yusei. I am defeated. Are we equal?”

Yusei gazed at him intently. “You're learning our language so fast.” He stood, brushing off his uniform and straightening his sword and accessories. “I say we are equal.”

“I am prize for king.”

Yusei couldn't keep his eyes on Jack's and instead looked upriver, toward the lost city of legend. “Those are my orders.”

Jack said nothing, instead stretching his long body out on its back, facing skyward. Their conversation was over.

 

**Chapter notes ...**

Well, this was extra-long, but there really didn't seem to be a good place to cut it (and the first little bit was just here-to-there stuff, yawn). But don't expect them all to be this long. ;) I havta admit, though, I do sorta miss the feedback (via comments) I got back at the the site that shall not be named. 


	4. Promise

Early the next day, they reached the pyramid. Yusei called a halt to allow the men to rest for the mission ahead of them.

Demak was beside himself with joy and anticipation, anxious to start the exploration immediately. Yusei put him—and Jaeger—off with a little difficulty. “It's not as if you're going in there,” Yusei pointed out. “If you don't want to lose the men, you have to let them rest. Whatever is in there isn't going anywhere.”

Exhausted from the push through the jungle, Yusei headed toward his tent for a nap. As he rounded a corner, Rua ran up to him. “Is it OK?” he asked, waving toward the prisoner's cage, which had already been secured near the tent, “I found Jack a pair of pants. He should have some real clothes, right?”

Sure enough, Jack was sitting cross-legged, looking out at the river, wearing a pair of breeches. “No shirt? Jacket?”

Rua laughed. “I can't get him to wear any of that. Shoes either.”

“And the language lessons?”

“Those are coming along really well. Come and see for yourself.”

“Good,” Yusei said, walking toward the cage with Rua. “The king should be able to ask him whatever he wants for himself, then.” Although Yusei still couldn't fathom what he might think he could learn from this foreign native.

Deciding to postpone rest a little, Yusei sent Rua for some tea and settled in next to his captive. To his surprise, Jack addressed him immediately. Motioning toward the pyramid, he said, “Why have you come to such a place?”

Yusei couldn't help but smile a little at such a direct and demanding query from a prisoner. Nevertheless, he answered without remonstration. “We've come to explore this building. There are rumors that it contains wonders.”

Jack looked aghast. “Captain Yusei!” he said. “You must not enter this place!” Then, realizing that Yusei clearly didn't understand his attitude, he explained, “It is sacred. This place was built by the ancestors. It is guarded by spirits of ancestors. Filled with traps.”

Yusei frowned, thinking, _Aren't such places far from where Jack lived?_ “What do you know of these things?” he asked. “This is nothing more than old women's tales, isn't it?”

“Such places are …” Jack struggled to find the words, “places of the gods?”

“Temples.”

“Yes, temples. There are many. Old. I have seen many, hunting and trading.” He looked down a moment, looking ashamed. “Crow—my friend—and I. We …” he frowned, “looked inside …”

“Explored?”

“Yes. We explored one … temple. Nearly died.”

“You survived.” Yusei frowned. “You went into one of these as a boy, through traps, and survived?”

“Crow with me. Smart.”

“You have experience with mounds like these? You must tell me everything you can about them!”

“You should not go,” he said. “You should leave it alone.”

Yusei smiled. “I have no choice.” He leaned in toward the grid of crossing bars. “Please. Tell me.”

Jack sighed. “I will come with you.”

Yusei wanted to smile again. The man was a prisoner; he obviously didn't like the idea of entering the sanctity of the temple; and yet he was going to do them the _favor_ of assisting them? “Jack, just tell me about happened with you and … Crow?”

“I will tell, if you take me.” Jack stared into Yusei's eyes. “Promise,” he insisted.

Yusei considered this. He could simply promise and hear what Jack had to say, then leave him behind, but that would be completely duplicitous—without honor. Jack wouldn't forgive him easily, especially after extracting his promise. Of course, if Jack were to come along, the effort would provide him a golden opportunity to escape. Still, Jack had experience with such places, which Yusei sorely lacked. And if, as Jack said, there were traps, Jack's help could prove invaluable.

“Very well,” he said at last. “I promise to include you if you tell me about what happened. However, in return, you have to promise me,” he said, maintaining the serious eye contact, “not to try to escape.”

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and said, “I promise.”

“OK, then, tell me your story.”

“A long time ago, when Crow and I had just become men, we were sent to scout good hunting. We went to land we had never been. The land was filled with a big jungle. We found temple, all alone.”

“All by itself? In the jungle?”

“Yes. Trees and vines growing over it.”

“So it was old and forgotten? Ancient?”

“Yes. Built by ancestors. We knew it was the place of gods, but we were …”

“Curious? You wanted to know what was inside?”

“Yes. Curious. So we looked for a way … inside. We found something like … cave?”

“Passageway?”

“Passageway,” Jack frowned over the word, and went on. “Attack,” he said, trying somehow to describe it. “Arrows, but no warriors. We could not get out. We had to find way out.”

“You couldn't go back?”

“Yes. The walls moved.”

“The walls … moved? By themselves?”

“Yes. The gods are angry at those who come into their places.”

Jack went on to describe a number of other traps. Finally, Yusei asked, “Tell me, though? Did you see gold?”

“Gold …?”

Yusei pulled a coin from his pocket and gave it to Jack. “Yellow metal like this?”

“Metal … Yellow.” He looked dismissive. “Inside. Deep.”

“Good.”

“You must not go. Bad luck.”

“Jack, I have no choice. It's my orders.”

“Orders …” Jack repeated thoughtfully. Orders led to all bad things, apparently: imprisonment, bad luck. Jack didn't understand why Yusei was bound by these nebulous “orders.”

* * *

Crow, from his vantage point outside the encampment, was positive that he knew exactly what the foreigners had planned.

“Raiding a sacred place! That's ill luck for certain!” he muttered. But maybe most of them would go inside that ancient building and leave Jack outside where he was vulnerable for rescue. “Sweet spirit of the Moon,” he prayed fervently, “send them to sleep so that I can return my friend to his home!”

Crow slept fitfully, his body monitoring the camp for any sign of activity. As dawn approached, he stirred, awakening in anticipation of the expedition's departure.

* * *

Yusei didn't even bother informing anyone that he planned to take Jack along on the exploration of the pyramid. After all, they were only going to object, and he had no stomach for argument. So he waited until they were assembling the small exploration party the next morning.

Yusei called to his lieutenant. “Kiryu! Bring cords to secure the prisoner.”

Jaeger looked appalled. “You can't be serious! You're not bringing him with us!”

“He has valuable knowledge of these places that we can use.”

“No. I'm putting my foot down on this,” Jaeger insisted. “Firstly, he's too valuable to risk. Secondly, we can't trust him not to use this opportunity to escape! Don't tell me you trust him not to lead us into a trap.”

“Look, Jaeger, I'm taking him with me personally, so what happens to me happens to him. He won't lead me into any traps that he won't get caught in himself. I'm taking it upon myself to be his personal guard. He won't escape. I guarantee it.”

Jaeger continued his attempts to object, but Yusei would have none of it. They had exchanged promises. Tenuous though that might seem, Yusei wanted to trust Jack. He'd seemed less than happy when faced with the prospect of Yusei's death.

On the other hand, he felt a strong twinge of guilt at the idea of placing Jack in danger. But there was an even stranger exhilaration at the idea of sharing an enterprise with him, even if Jack was pushed into it. In any case, Jack's experience gave them a much better chance of success.

Kiryu brought Jack forward, his wrists bound before him and his ankles tied with enough slack for him to move comfortably—not run, but at least walk. Kiryu made a point of catching his captain's eye and Yusei gave him a confident look of approval. This was his plan. Jack would help them.

Jack, on the other hand, had a grim expression on his face. He didn't approve of this undertaking at all. He looked at the general thoughtfully. Was he really considering doing this? These were his enemies. They'd massacred his people and held him in captivity for days. Who knew if he'd ever be free again? And yet this man, General Yusei, had always treated him with complete respect. He looked toward the sacred pyramid. The very thought of General Yusei entering there with just his men made a cold bolt of fear race up his spine. If it had just been those callow men with their eyes full of hatred, he would have let them go with a smile on his lips. But not General Yusei.

Besides. He'd promised.

Yusei spared a last look at Jack, regretting his decision a last time. However, the likelihood that there was treasure in such a place could not be overlooked. It was Yusei's duty to enter and explore this place and he fully believed that Jack could help him avoid the traps and save lives. He sighed, seeing Jaeger select a shady spot to sip cool fruit tea while he awaited their return. No wonder he can be so confident, Yusei thought. He's not sharing any of the risk. A small frown playing on his brow, he muttered, “Come, Jack, the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll finish this.”

As soon as Yusei regained his place at the head of his men, a voice was heard from the midst of the ranks. “Let the prisoner go first!”

Raising his voice to command levels, Yusei addressed his men. “Men, we are about to embark upon a dangerous but most important mission! We are to gather knowledge and treasures for our great king! Among the treasures we've already won is this prisoner, who has fortunately agreed to help us in this dangerous mission—which may deliver us safely and make our mission a success! Our success depends upon this prisoner. Therefore, our prisoner must be treated with utmost respect and care. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!”

“As always you will receive a portion of what we win upon your return to Europe.”

“Huzzah!”

“Now, men, calm yourselves. Be ready for anything, any kind of trap!” Yusei walked over to Jack.

“Fall in, men! Forward! Slowly, with care! Follow my lead and listen for my orders!”

The group entered on foot. Immediately they found themselves in a long, narrow hallway of stone. Jack stopped, holding Yusei back with his bound hands.

Yusei looked around. There were a number of vases and other crockery towards the opening, apparently left long ago with offerings to the gods. He squinted, trying to make out the shadowed interior. Were those skeletons deeper inside?

“The door is dangerous,” he said. Looking around, he found a vase on the floor and rolled it down the hallway. A number of arrows launched at the vase on its way down the hall.

“How do we evade this?” asked Yusei.

“Quiver empty,” said Jack, picking up the vase from the other side of the hallway. He rolled it down the hall, eliciting another volley of arrows.

“I see. You want to make it run out of arrows?”

“Run out, yes.”

Yusei thought it over. This method would be simpler than getting to the mechanism, so he had his men collect the objects necessary to cause the trap to run out of arrows.

“This is similar to the trap in the other pyramid?” he asked. Jack nodded, moving forward again.

Yusei watched Jack intently as he moved with great care, sliding his bare feet over the stone as though feeling them for any movement and running his hands over the wall as he moved past. The latter looked difficult, given that his hands were bound.

After a little while, they came to the end of the hall of arrows, which opened up into a large, empty room. Jack picked up a spent arrow and stopped, peering into the darkness of the open space.

Jack pressed the hand that wasn't holding the arrow against Yusei's sleeve to hold him in place, then carefully moved forward, reaching forward to probe the stones in the floor with the arrow's tip. On certain stones, he placed a feather from the arrow. “Do not step on those stones,” he said.

“What will happen?”

“Nothing good.”

After Jack finished examining the room, Yusei signaled his men to enter. “There are three exits,” he noted. “Which should we take?”

“The thing you look for is put down deep,” said Jack, “so I think we take the far door.”

Yusei wasn't sure how he knew it, whether it was the temperature, humidity, or simple instinct, but he decided to go with Jack's recommendation. “Very well,” he said. “Make ready to follow, men.”

As Yusei arrived at the doorway, he found Jack examining the walls. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

Jack paused and glanced at him. “Not sure. This stone could be trap, but I am not sure.” Jack probed the stone floor of the passageway past the doorway. Yusei could see a frown creasing the handsome face in the dim, flickering light from the torches that his men were carrying.

“What do you want to do?”

“I can't find anything. You want to find these things?” Jack didn't look satisfied.

“Do you want to go back to the camp?” Yusei asked.

“No.” Jack looked at Yusei carefully and lowered his voice. “Unbind me?”

Yusei paused. He knew how dangerous it was. What if something happened? Still—he looked back at the men. There was no way. As low as he possibly could, he answered, “I'm sorry.” He closed his eyes for a bare moment, then opened them and gripped Jack's upper arm.

_We go together. I'll keep you safe._

He hoped he was right.

Jack glanced at him, his expression unreadable, and moved carefully through the doorway.

“Men, get ready!” Yusei called.

Jack took a cautious step with Yusei in lockstep by his side.

Then a large stone dropped behind them, blocking the way back.

* * *

Yusei stood in the darkness with a hand on the large stone. “Looks like I'm not getting back to my men any time soon,” he said.

“This what I …” he paused, searching for the word.

“Worry about?”

“Worry about, yes.”

Yusei sighed. “We need light. We can't just stumble around in darkness.”

A large hand closed around his in the darkness and he felt a hard shaft slide into his palm: the arrow. The contact vanished as quickly has it had been initiated, then he felt a hand grasp his again and guide it. He was dragged a few steps and his hand was placed upon a vessel near the door. “Oil?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, Yusei tore a few long strips of fabric from his shirt. He dipped the strips in the oil and wrapped them securely around the arrow. Finally, he used his flint to strike a spark and set the makeshift torch aflame. “Thanks, Jack,” he said. “Here.”

Jack looked confused, but Yusei set the torch in a sconce and took Jack's hands. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his pocketknife. He carefully cut Jack's hands loose. Next, he knelt down and released Jack's ankles. It crossed his mind that Jack could have taken the opportunity to kick him in the head and run away, but he didn't. Was it because of their situation? That Jack needed his help to get out? Or was it his promise?

“Thank you,” Jack said simply. There was a genuine warmth in his voice that Yusei couldn't ignore. “I did not mean—”

“I know,” Yusei said as he picked up the torch again. He hadn't meant for them to lose the other men. “There's no helping it. Let's go on and try to find the gold or what is hidden here.”

Jack nodded.

The two of them moved forward with great care. “Tell me about the floor in that hall back there,” Yusei said.

“I am not sure. Those stones move. Floor could open.”

“You're saying the floor could fall away?”

“Yes, or something else.” Jack was moving on, seemingly examining each stone as he did.

“Jack …”

“Let us find these things your king wants.”

At last he was alone with this man, and yet they still could not speak openly; Yusei's orders and position were still in the way. He sighed, miserable. What was wrong with him? Of course this man didn't want to be his friend.

He pressed forward. He couldn't afford to be left behind, and Jack needed the light from the makeshift torch he held.

They went down several sets of steps, then rounded a corner and found themselves at a T-shaped fork in the passageway. “Now what?” Yusei said.

I think … this way,” Jack said, indicating the right-hand passage.

Yusei frowned a little. “Why?”

“I think the air is moving. I do not know.”

Yusei made a move toward it, but Jack stopped him. “Will go first,” he said, moving into the narrow space. After a few minutes, Jack indicated for Yusei to follow.

Yusei felt better standing next to Jack once more, but he had a bad feeling. Was it something in the air? He glanced toward Jack to check his expression and noticed that he looked grim. He felt it too, whatever it was. Suddenly Yusei felt pressure on his wrist—he looked down to see that Jack had grasped it tightly.

He looked up at Jack and then he heard a heart-rending noise: stone on stone. Jack's eyes widened immensely and suddenly he was racing, yelling, “ _Run!_ ”

The two of them ran for the end of the corridor, but Jack was swifter and, just as Yusei realized that he wasn't going to make it, Jack threw him forward, skidding ahead of him, the torch clattering to the floor behind them. He thought he would just make it under the descending stone, as he slid for it, reaching …

but he hit a pile of gravel and stopped while he watched Jack roll through. His outstretched hands met a smooth rock surface.

_Jack …_

Then he yelled, calling out to the man. Could he even hear him through all that solid rock?

He had to gather himself. The ceiling, though descending, was ratcheting down and he still had a little time. However, looking behind him, he realized that the corridor had been partitioned and another wall had descended behind him so that he was in a cell approximately the dimensions of a grave.

How appropriate.

The ceiling shuddered lower with a soul-shattering shriek.

He reached for the torch, which had rolled rest against the far wall of the tiny chamber.

Just before his fingers touched it, it sputtered out.

**Chapter notes ...**

Damn, I hope this is good enough because I want to get this out. Here goes!

Hurrah, thanks for the kudos! I can't tell you how encouraging that is! I confess that I really miss "reviews" at Fanfiction. Reviews seem to be more used than Comments, and I do love to see readers' remarks. It helps me know how I'm doing, and I've really, _really_ wondered about this work. I've seen an awful lot of fics in which Yusei was the imprisoned one, and I kind of wanted to turn that trope on its head. Fun, or not? Plus, the action, which at times is surprisingly easy to write, but mostly pretty hard.

Which brings me to ... sorry for the delay in updating! I did have a bit of fixing to do to this chapter, and I did some re-envisioning of this whole sequence. Plus, I have a ton of things have been distracting me lately, and that probably will continue to slow this process. I apologize in advance.

_those callow men_ : Not exactly accurate; clearly this is Jack's biased opinion.


	5. Treasure

Out in the trees, Crow had watched them lead Jack into the pyramid with frustration. He wondered how much they knew or if they expected Jack to somehow lead them through the place safely. It was true that the two of them had recklessly explored such a place when they were younger, but no adult would be so stupid. Or maybe he should say only foreigners would be so stupid! Wasn't it enough that they held him? Must they lead him through that gauntlet—tied up.

“Bad luck, bad luck, _bad luck!_ ” he cursed under his breath. Then he began to pray to all the spirits he could think of who might help.

* * *

Somewhere within the pyramid, Yusei was left in the dark to contemplate the stupidity of his decisions. Step by step he had allowed admiration and empathy for his enemy to influence his thinking. Now he was going to pay for this grave error with his life.

At least he wouldn't have to wait too long, he thought as the ceiling ratcheted lower with a bone-jarring shriek of stone against stone.

The ceiling was now so low that he was forced to lie down.

When the wall had come down, he'd estimated that he had about one-quarter hour until the ceiling met the floor. That time was almost gone now. He closed his eyes. Oddly, his mind's eye showed him a blond warrior who never gave up, climbing up a near sheer cliff face toward freedom.

He could almost laugh at himself. He still felt this way even now? Had Jack known the trap was there? Was this a betrayal?

 _Betrayal_. Yusei almost chuckled at his own thought. How could he even call it that? Jack would call Yusei his enemy. Even if he could call this a “betrayal,” Jack was only doing what he had to to survive. How could Yusei not forgive him? He wished the best for him. And if it wasn't, it could take a long time for Jack to find a way to help—it might not even be possible.

He awaited the inevitable with a small, rueful smile on his lips.

“Captain Yusei!”

Yusei's eyes sprang open.

The doorway behind his head had opened, spilling a little light into the darkness, and two large, pale hands reached through. Yusei quickly reached past his head to grasp them as the ceiling ratcheted lower, now mere inches from his chest.

The next second he was being pulled from the tiny cavity by the strong hands.

For a few seconds, Jack embraced Yusei tightly. Yusei could feel the hard firmness of his muscles and the rapid thumping of his heart. It was beating almost as hard as his own. Could it be that Jack was that worried about him?

But just as suddenly as it was initiated, the contact was lost. “You all right, Captain Yusei?” asked Jack.

“You came back for me,” Yusei said. It was obvious, but he was still amazed. “Thank you. You could have escaped.”

“I would not like to see great Chief killed,” he said, turning toward the exit of the room they were now in.

“How much were you able to explore?” Yusei asked. “Did you find the way down?”

“Nn,” Jack grunted, shaking his head. “Had to find a way in. But I found a way around.”

 _Obviously_ , Yusei thought, _since he pulled me out the way we came in_. “I guess we took a wrong turn,” he said.

Jack pulled a torch from a sconce in the wall, and Yusei noticed that a leg of his breeches had been diminished to fuel it. _Did he go all the way back to create it?_ he wondered.

They carefully made their way forward and down a narrow stone stair until they reached another fork in the passageway, where it split into two stairs leading down into the darkness. They heard a vague dripping—it really was like being in a cave. Jack looked at Yusei.

“I still want you to choose. You're the one with experience. It's likely that all choices are dangerous in these places.”

Jack nodded and checked both passageways thoroughly. He nodded, then pointed to the one on the left. “I think this one circles down under the pyramid,” he said.

 _No doubt his sense of direction is true_ , Yusei thought. He couldn't tell where he was relative to the pyramid at this point, despite having a superior sense of direction. Plus, who knew what other senses Jack was using? He nodded, and fell in close behind Jack.

They progressed slowly down the narrow way, the rough-hewn cut stone steps difficult to follow in the flickering light of their torch. Jack began to slow, then stopped.

“What is it?” asked Yusei.

“Do you hear?” he asked.

Yusei listened. There it was, behind the constant trickling, the sound of running water. “Yes. If you still think this is the right way, let's go on.”

Jack nodded, and started on.

As they slowly progressed, the sound of rushing water became more distinct and the stairs evened into a flat narrow hallway.

Suddenly Jack halted.

“What is it?” Yusei asked.

“There is something—” he began, but his words were lost as the floor gave way beneath him.

Yusei reached out, desperately trying to catch hold of Jack, just managing to grab his wrist. It was useless because he was only pulled over the edge with Jack—they were falling through black, empty space, their torch a flickering ember twisting through the blackness as it followed them down. But that only lasted a second before they splashed into a freezing torrent and their torch was extinguished.

Jack's hand tightly grasped Yusei's arm even as Yusei's grip failed with the cold, and he kicked toward the opposite shore, dragging Yusei with him.

Now Yusei could detect the walls of the passage because they were covered by thousands of some sort of glowworm. The faint glow reflected spookily off the rushing water. Yusei was doing his best to get out of the cold water as quickly as possible, but his progress was hampered by the smooth rocks of the shore, which were covered by some sort of slippery slime. The slippery bottom combined with the swift water made climbing out treacherous.

Jack managed to find some purchase among the stones and helped Yusei scramble out, only to struggle himself. As Yusei waited, he squinted out at the river, wondering if it was somehow connected to the above-ground river. Then—

“ _Jack!_ ” He drew his sword. Three large pale forms were swiftly approaching through the dark waters, and it was clear that Jack wasn't going to be able to get out before the first one arrived. Yusei scrambled back in, Jack grabbing Yusei's free arm to steady him while nearly losing his own footing in the process. Yusei let his momentum carry him past Jack's shoulder so that he could stab the first beast through the eye, killing it instantly.

“Crocodile?” he realized as the other two immediately turned on their companion, lunging at it as it was carried past with the current. He sighed in relief. Then, as Jack helped him ashore again, “What am I thinking?” Re-sheathing his sword, he reached it toward Jack. He grasped it tight, using it to steady himself as he half-waded, half-slid ashore.

“Thank you,” Jack said, sitting down on the cold, wet stone bank. An involuntary tramor ran through his body. “We cannot let the river take us,” he said. “Who knows where it will come out? It could be a river to the underworld.”

Yusei tried to make Jack's face out in the dim glow. “You're right,” he said. “There's no telling. We could have easily drowned—We might never have found our way back here.” He shivered himself, then thought that must be why he wasn't thinking clearly. “Jack, we're too cold.”

Jack shrugged. “There is no fuel here. We must move on.”

But before Jack could stand again, Yusei grasped his wrist. “I need a moment. Let me share your warmth.” He leaned in against Jack, who didn't protest. Yusei assumed that the relief from the cold kept Jack from pushing him away. Because of the cold, wet conditions, it wasn't nearly as pleasant pressing against Jack as he might have imagined, and Yusei kept feeling little tremors running through Jack's body. “Those crocodiles,” he mused, remembering how pale they were. “Albino? I wonder if they ever see the light of day.”

Jack didn't bother replying to that. But Yusei didn't dare stay here long; Jack was right to press him to move on. He waited until he felt a little rested and felt marginally warmer. “Let's go,” he said. “I feel better now.” Jack nodded and got to his feet. Yusei noted again that they were bare and hoped that they could find someplace warmer soon. His own feet were cold, but at least they were covered. “This way?” Yusei asked, pointing in the direction that the river flowed.

Jack nodded. They began to move along the shore. “There must be a passageway that turns left,” he said, pointing. “If we don't find it, we will have to go back and look for it the other way.”

“Up here,” Yusei said. There was what seemed to be a crevice in the rock, but it was actually an entryway. The passage jogged left, then turned up a narrow stair. “There's light up ahead!” Indeed, they could see light spilling down through the passage and over the stairs from some unseen source.

Jack grasped the tail of Yusei's coat to keep him from bounding up the stair. “Wait.”

_Oh. Right._

He couldn't relax for a moment. He drew his sword and tested the steps ahead. They seemed solid. He nodded to Jack, and they walked up the remaining steps to the landing …

… where they stood blinking for a long while trying to adjust to the light radiating from the chamber. When he could finally make out the contents of the room, Yusei breathed in wonder, “My God … Where does all this light come from?” The room seemed to be filled with golden objects from floor to ceiling. The light was somehow channeled in from outside and reflected around the chamber so that the entire room seemed to glow and sparkle with it. Empire of the Sun, indeed. After spending so much time in the shade of the jungle, he realized just how much he missed the sun … and why it felt so good to look at Jack's blond hair. It reminded him of the sun and clear, blue, breezy days.

Pulling himself out of the thought, he looked up into the recesses of the ceiling and remarked, “The light must be channeled all the way from the top of the pyramid somehow.” The ceiling was high indeed, but not so so high as to reach the top of the pyramid. He wanted to see how it was done, but knew that they couldn't linger so long.

—Particularly since they were still wet and cold from the water of the subterranean river, and while the room carried the light of the sun, its warmth was lacking. Jack was looking around the room curiously and found some sort of chest. He opened it and pulled out a blanket. “Here,” he said, coming over and holding it out to Yusei as he stepped up. “You need this.”

Yusei was surprised to find that it was hardly dusty at all. _How had items here stayed so fresh and new, anyway?_ Ignoring that, he said, “You, too. You're wearing less than I am.” Jack pressed the blanket into Yusei's arms and looked back in the chest. There was some sort of smaller wrap in there, sort of a stole, which he put over his shoulders.

Jack took Yusei's hand and pulled him toward one side of the room, where he cleared space on a piece of furniture that could be described as a divan. Then he pulled Yusei down onto it, sitting beside him. “Rest,” he said. He pressed lightly on Yusei's chest to suggest that he lie down. “I'll find your men and bring them here.”

He started to stand and turn for the door, but Yusei grabbed him by the wrist and made him sit. “Jack.” It seemed so long ago that they'd been separated from his men. This was the first time they'd had time to collect themselves. “Jack, you saved my life at least three times already … and I almost killed you.”

“You saved my life.”

_And I …_

Yusei grabbed Jack's arms just above the elbows and looked him in the eye. “Jack, you could have escaped. You could have left me to die, but you came back and saved me. Me, someone who is going to turn you over to my king.” He let go and shook his head. “I don't know what he plans to do with you.”

Jack shrugged. “I promised.”

Yusei frowned. _Promised?_ “Oh!” he said, remembering. “Not to escape. Ha,” a tiny chuckle escaped him. “It seems like we exchanged promises years ago now. Suppose I release you from your promise. You can escape easily now, with no one seeing you. You have a friend following us, right? Find him and leave this place while you can. This is probably your last opportunity. I can find my men from here.”

“No.”

Yusei stared at him. “No? What do you mean, no? There's nothing to hold you here! You have no life where I'm taking you—”

“You said if I don't come, Captain Yusei will die.”

“I can't know that.”

Jack stared at him, his eyes narrowed, doubtful. “You suspect. You think king …” he paused, struggling to express his thought, “makes me … important.” He frowned, unhappy with the choice of words.

Yusei ignored them. “Jack,” he said, “none of that should matter to you. After what we did. … All your people …”

Jack knelt before him. “I have thought,” he said slowly, “you would not do, but your king told you to do?”

“Are you asking whether it was my idea to attack your people or my king's order?” Yusei put his head in his hands. “We don't pursue natives who have nothing of value,” he said. “Your people had nothing that my party would want—ordinarily. But King Rex—for some reason—specifically ordered that I bring back a white native. Alive.”

“… King's idea,” Jack repeated. He looked at Yusei, hard. It seemed as though something in him subtly shifted, and he seemed almost relieved.

“Jack, I can try to excuse myself by telling myself that it was my king's order, but what I did is still my responsibility. I carried out those orders. No matter how I might regret them—”

“King's order,” Jack said, and a shiver traveled up Yusei's spine that he was sure that wasn't from the dip in the river. “Wait here. Rest.”

“No, I'm coming with you,” Yusei said. He made to get up, but apparently Jack was right. All the activity, the cold shock of the river, the stress of facing death … all of it had taken its toll. He couldn't make his body move. “Find your friend,” he said.

Yusei watched listlessly as Jack began moving about the room. He decided Jack's larger size must have helped him resist the chill. Jack finally selected a different passage from the one they had used to enter. He wondered why he'd chosen that particular exit, but only momentarily because, without Jack's conversation to focus on, Yusei's mind drifted quickly. He pulled the blanket around himself and soon lost all consciousness.

* * *

Yusei didn't awaken until his men arrived with a great clattering commotion. Kiryu was by his side before he could fully rub the sleep from his eyes. He stood up, stretching, still damp, but at least no longer soaked and freezing. “I was worried that heathen bastard would lead us into a trap,” Kiryu sighed in tones laced with relief. “It looks like you've somehow got him trained. How did you get him to come for us instead of heading for the hills?”

Yusei shrugged a shoulder. “I'm not even certain about that myself,” he said with a yawn. “But never mind that, we need to get this fortune secured.”

Kiryu took a moment to look about in awe—but only a moment. “This is going to be a job and a half,” he said. Jack by this time had appeared at Kiryu's shoulder.

“I think,” Yusei said thoughtfully, “the best course would be to fortify, build river boats, and return to the ships by river as quickly as possible. It means a delay up front, but it's unavoidable. However, we have everything that we can handle for this expedition.”

Jack reached out and grasped Yusei's shoulder, turning him so that they were face to face. He extended a long arm and waved it at the trove. “You can leave this. Bad luck to take.” Jack's violet eyes were more intense than ever, impassioned as they were, deeply purple with sparkling highlights in this amazing, shining room. How did this gold never dull over the centuries? It was as though no dust had ever entered this room, but that was impossible. Yet Jack's hair outshone all the gold in the room and Yusei was struck with the sudden conviction that it by itself was far more valuable. And Jack …

What was wrong with him?

Shaking these thoughts from his mind, he said, “Jack … bad luck? There's nothing that will happen if we take this. The people who put this here are long dead. There are no spirits to punish us if we remove this gold.” He gently removed Jack's hand from his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “Besides, we survived all the way here! If anything, I call that good luck.” But he didn't feel completely confident in his own words. All the same, he had to forge ahead. Smiling, said lightly, “I have my orders. Don't worry about it, Jack. If there is any bad luck—and I don't think there is, mind you—it will be borne by my king because all this is done at his command.”

Jack didn't look completely satisfied. Kiryu looked positively livid. “Why are we even talking to him? … Sir?” he asked in strained tones. “He's supposed to be in restraints—and yet he's sent to retrieve us, like some sort of trusted scout. Is he to be treated as a recruit now?”

Yusei sighed. “You're right. But I think we can simply tie his wrists—not behind him, though. In front will suffice. We should reward him for demonstrating that he can be trusted. If he disappoints me, we'll add restrictions.”

“Yes, sir,” Kiryu said. “Now that a safe passage is secured, I'd like to take the prisoner above.”

“Good. I'm going too. I need to get into dry clothing.”

As they walked toward the passageway, Kiryu asked, “If you don't mind my asking, how did you get wet in the first place?”

“I'll tell you that story, if someone will tell me how you found this way in and cleared all the traps.”

That was a story for Jack, who explained as they walked up and out of the pyramid. Actually, the way out wasn't so difficult, since the traps were set to catch people penetrating from the outside. So, since he was coming from the other way, all Jack had to do was detect the traps from the other side and deactivate them. Not entirely simple, but much safer than attacking them head-on. In this way, his army was saved from spikes, arrows, and a dunk in the river.

* * *

Yusei spent the last few hours of the day planning the transportation and securing of the gold while Kiryu started another crew felling trees and building river boats. He decided that the insecurity of their surroundings and the promise of a cut of the take should keep the men more or less in line. Still, Yusei assigned his most trusted men to guard duty. Fortunately, gold (especially in large amounts) is not the easiest thing to move—especially without attracting attention.

Meanwhile, Yusei had to return Jack to his cage. He did so with a great deal more reluctance than even he anticipated. The more time he spent with Jack, the more he saw him as a friend rather than an enemy. He wanted to spend more and more time with him, actually, and his duties seemed more and more dreary and tedious; his men more tiresome. He had considered Kiryu his closest friend on the trip out and now …

Just how did he feel about Kiryu now? He glanced toward the man standing by the river for a moment, considering. Kiryu was so dismissive of Jack. To him, he was just an enemy prisoner; perhaps a strong and admirable one, but still an enemy and a savage at that, not to be taken seriously—except as a potential threat.

Yusei found that attitude difficult to forgive. As much as he knew that it was a prejudice stemming from Kiryu's background, didn't Yusei have a very similar one? And wasn't he able to see past it?

They were all basically military men, warriors, after all, weren't they? Yusei couldn't entirely understand Kiryu's attitude.

Meanwhile, the process of boat-building took several days.

Yusei took Jack and a few men and explored the temple—or whatever it was—several more times during this period. They discovered a few more traps and some very interesting artwork as well as a few large books filled with strange writing and illustrations. Jack did not recognize the writing, simply saying that it was ancestors' writing. Yusei was glad to uncover some large, beautiful, elaborately-woven blankets as well. Those would be very useful for covering the gold.

Both Demak and Jaeger looked through the books with great fascination. “I wonder,” said Jaeger. “Do you think we can find any natives who can translate this?”

“I doubt it,” said Demak. “The oral language might still exist somewhere on the continent—who knows, I might even recognize it if I heard it—but we have yet to find anyone who still writes it, so we have no way to decode this that we know of.”

“Perhaps we can find remnants of a more advanced civilization,” said Jaeger. “If you encounter one, be sure to capture a scribe or someone who can write.”

Yusei grimaced. “While I'm trying to save the lives of my men, I'll try to remember to spare the life of an enemy who can write. They're so easy to identify and all.”

Jaeger scowled at the sarcasm. “I don't think you fully appreciate that the knowledge you bring back is vastly more valuable than the lives of your men, your life—even the sum total of all the gold that you've collected. And that prisoner …”

“What about him?”

“Just don't lose him, and don't allow him to be damaged. You risked him enough getting this fortune. These books might turn out to be worth the risk, but even so—”

“We might have lost the entire party without him. I certainly would have died without his assistance.”

“We were lucky, then. But this is the last time we take that chance. He's essential to the king's plans.”

“Why don't you explain how a single savage enemy soldier who knows very little could possibly be essential to the king's plans?”

“That's for King Rex to tell you or not tell you as he sees fit.”

Yusei bit back his frustration and held his tongue. Then it suddenly hit him: _King Rex didn't tell him either_. He took the strange volumes and wrapped them securely in leather and bound them with straps. “These will be put with the rest of the items earmarked specifically for the king. I have to check on progress with transport, then ensure the safety of the cargo and prisoner.”

He left Jaeger and Demak earnestly discussing some obscure lore or rumors.

“ _Pft!_ ” He was rapidly losing patience with them. What were they after, anyway? he wondered. What did the king want? Most especially, what did he expect to get out of Jack? Jack didn't seem to be interested in any of these things.

As he walked out of the command tent, he glanced over toward the prisoner's cage. Jack was staring out toward the river.

_What's going to become of you? Will you be all right?_

_Would it have been better if I had just let you die? If I hadn't caught you?_

_Jack … I'm so sorry …_

**Chapter notes ...**

Guys, thanks ever so for the kudos! So encouraging, I can't even tell you. :) I've been a bit worried about the traffic for 5D's here so, really, I can't thank you enough for the support.

I feel that Crow's a bit under-serviced here, but he is following along and, trust me, he'll have more to do coming up (for those who care ;) ). Also, sorry this is coming along so slowly (also my other active story), but I can't seem to get them to come along faster. Yes, I'm working several stories at once, but right now I'm "non-exclusive." So sue me. (My stories seem to understand, even if they feel a little neglected. ;) ) Thanks for your patience! (I promise, I will finish!)

**Author's Note:**

> Normally I'd like to have a little more written ahead of time, but I want the incentive of needing to finish this to motivate me to continue, so I'm writing as I post. Thanks ever so much for the kudos! If you are so moved, please feel free to comment.
> 
> **Current preview ...**
> 
> To be honest, I have a lot to do on the next chapter (even though there is already a bunch written), so ... let's just say, the gold and other valuables (eg., Jack) are loaded on the ships and we set sail for Europe! Yay? Yay!


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